Russia sentences a 72-year-old American to prison for serving as a 'mercenary' for Ukraine

A Moscow court on Monday convicted a 72-year-old American on charges of acting as a mercenary for Ukraine in the armed conflict. According to AFP, the court sentenced the defendant, who the media identified as Stephen Hubbard, of Michigan, to six years and 10 months in prison.

The trial was held largely behind closed doors. The American appeared to be in frail health, walking slowly and shuffling his feet at a hearing last week.

Hubbard had been in custody since April 2, 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, but his case did not become public until Sept. 27 of this year, when his trial began in the Russian capital.

Prosecutors allege that Hubbard was paid at least $1,000 a month to join a Ukrainian territorial defense unit.

Arrests for swaps

Also Monday, a court in the western Russian city of Voronezh sentenced another American, Robert Gilman, 30, to seven years and one month in a penal colony for acts of violence. According to the prosecution, Gilman, who was already serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, used "physical violence" against guards and an investigator.

Several Westerners, in particular Americans, are imprisoned in Russia. Although Washington has not yet expressed any opinion on the latest arrests, it has claimed that Russia is essentially taking hostages to leverage the release of Russian agents held abroad.

This recently led to the biggest swap since the end of the Cold War, when Russian spies were exchanged for the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan. In another exchange, Viktor Bout, the “merchant of death” was exchanged for basketball player Brittney Griner.